Ascension
by Northlane
Summary: Kurama, his ever stoic self, is changing. He's facing an inner crisis, and struggling to keep himself... But what does Jin have to be here for? [Kurama x Botan]
1. Chapter 1

**Foreword**: Uhh… This is my first attempt at a Yu Yu Hakusho story… so uh… maybe try not to massacre me with reviews of how terrible it is. 'This is how a **thought** will be displayed.' "This is how **dialogue** will be displayed."

**Disclaimer**: I don't own anything except for a computer, Microsoft Word, an internet connection, and my own original story line… So yeah, I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho, any of its characters and the like… Anything resembling something, unless otherwise noted, is purely incidental.

**Special Thanks To**: My buddy Bryan, for reintroducing me to the series.

* * *

"Aye, tha's a nice smell… The air 'roundabouts here makes ye want te retch." Scratching at the mess of red hair atop his head, Jin smiled cheekily. In his identifiably Irish accent, he said, "Jus' ain't clean, y'know?" 

"Jin… Is there a particular reason that you're here?" The voice that responded to him was distinct. It was soft, yet provocative and forceful. It belonged to Kurama, the infamous spirit fox gone human.

Putting his hand up to his chin, the wind demon thought back on why he had come… But he drew a blank. "I can't really remember, truth be dandy!" he said with an airy grin on his face.

"I see… I figured you would have a purpose for visiting." Kurama turned towards his desk, long, red hair whisking behind him.

"Well, wha's so wrong with wantin' te visit me good ol' buddy Kurama?" Jin said innocently, glancing around the room with curiosity. "Where's tha' smell comin' from?"

Silently, Kurama procured a rose from his hair, and also motioned towards a vase of flowers set on the corner of his desk. "Jin, I hardly know you. How can you consider me an old friend?"

"Well… maybe I be wantin' a _new_ friend." Jin strolled over to the redhead's desk and peered down at some papers. "What be this chicken scratch? S'all o'er the place!"

Kurama cried, "Jin! Please... do not disturb those papers… They are very important."

"Why? What'sa point o' it? 'Fraid I don't be understandin'!" Jin once again scratched his head, and his ears wiggled with inquisitiveness.

The young man placed the rose back in his hair, and calmly said, "It's called homework… It's something that humans must do when they attend school… So I'd appreciate it if you didn't disturb it."

"Yeesh! What's got _your _rocks in a twirly-doo?" Jin stepped away from the desk slowly, and scratched at his forehead.

"Twirly… doo? I believe that you mean 'knot'." Kurama stared at him with a steely glare through his pools of liquid jade. "If you're quite finished here, I must ask if you could please leave… I have numerous things to do."

Frowning, the Wind Master folded his arms and said, "Ye got a stick up yer arse or somethin'? I was jus' curious… Can't blame a guy fer dat, can ye? I think yeh need te get outta this stuffy room more often." Jin leaned in close to Kurama and spoke, as if he was trying to avoid being overheard, "Ye know what I be meanin' righ'? Get ou' on th' tow' an' 'ave a bit a fun!"

"I apologize if I seem uncivil… I'm a bit tense, and am lacking in sleep… Forgive me." Kurama inwardly sighed, 'I really do need to leave my room once and a while… I feel quite a bit like a hermit in here… locked away with my homework… School's not much of an escape either… Not with so many "love struck" girls there… I just desire a bit of peace… Perhaps that is something too valuable to ask of this world…'

"Ye should go for a wee bit of a soar every now and again… Jus' migh' do ye some good!" Jin levitated into the air, and folded his legs under him, as though he was sitting on the solid floor.

"Perhaps…" Kurama trudged over to his bed, worn out because of his hectic day. He simply lay down on top of it, and stared at the ceiling fan. "However, I feel quite comfortable on the ground…"

"Aw, ye don't trust me, do ye? I promise I wouldn' drop ye! Swear on me pointy, pointy ears!"

'I don't care, you goddamn leprechaun! Will you just leave me alone?! I'll be glad to talk to you, just not _now_…' Kurama blinked a few times, and sniffed a bit. "Good evening, Botan…"

"Whaa?" Bewildered, Jin turned around, and stared at the Cheery Reaper. "Tha's quite a sniffer ye got on ye… Can't say I'm surprised at tha' though…"

Botan smiled brightly and placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. "Well, hello there, Kurama… Sorry to bother you, but I've been sent to drag _this_ miscreant back to Genkai's place…" Jerking a thumb at Jin, the kimono wearing girl scowled at the Wind Demon, who, in turn, grimaced.

'Oh sweet Jesus, Mary and Joseph… I'm in for a hell of a naggin'…" Jin mumbled quietly, though Botan and Kurama's excellent hearing still picked it up. He stared at them, and perplexedly said, "Wha'? Ain't a guy allowed to doss it every now an' again?"

Rounding on the demon, Botan pointed an accusatory finger at him and said, "Oh, no you don't, Jin! You screw off _more _than "every now an' again". Now you'd better hurry "ye olde ass" up or else you're going to get it when Koenma hears about this." Just to mock him further, the ferry girl had decided to imitate Jin's accent, which she did flawlessly.

Jin donned a face akin to that of a kicked puppy, and poignantly said, "Hey… tha's uncalled for… An' tha' las' par' wasn' even Irish… I _would _go back with ye, but I'd rather jus' go out for a bi' long'r…" He turned and put one foot on the window sill, preparing to launch himself into the night.

He never made it.

Botan had cracked him in the back of the skull with her oar, knocking him out, effectively silencing the Wind Demon. "Oh, no you don't!"

Kurama let out a sigh of relief, and closed his eyes for a moment, then turned to the blue haired deity, saying, "Hmm… Thank you… He was beginning to get a bit too loud."

"Not a problem at all, Kurama! Now I just need to drag him back…" Shrugging, the girl slung Jin's limp body over the back end of her oar, and prepared to mount it herself, just outside the window.

"Wait… Botan…" Kurama's pale hand reached out into the darkened air, illuminated by the moon. Between his fingertips was a flower, one that seemed exceedingly delicate and rare. "I know how much you enjoy flowers… I have no need for this one… Consider it payment for "pacifying" Jin for me." He smiled in gratitude, and allowed the girl to take the flower.

"I… umm…." Botan blushed, though it was unnoticeable in the night sky. "Th-thanks."

"Good bye." Kurama promptly closed his window and returned to his bed. There was nothing behind the flower… It was simply something he felt would be polite to do. Had Yusuke or Kuwabara, or even Hiei been there, Kurama would've been bombarded by a torrent of comments, wondering what was between himself and Botan… The answer? Nothing… They were friends, sure, but there was nothing romantic…

Kurama sighed as he rolled over, his eyes closed. 'Thank heavens I can finally get some rest now…'

There was a slight knock at his door, before it was opened softly. "Shuichi? I… heard voices. Did you have friends over?"

"No, mother… That was just my cellular phone… I was using it on speaker phone. Did I disturb you?"

"Not at all, Shuichi… I just thought I heard a girl up here… You _know _how I feel about that…"

Groaning, Kurama responded with her expectations of any female accompaniment, "Yes, mother. You want to meet any girl I bring by the house, and you think that I should be more open to finding a girlfriend… We've been over this before, mother."

"I'm just making sure you remembered, dear… You really should find a nice girlfriend, Shuichi… Then maybe you wouldn't stay in here, doing homework so much…"

"…"

"Shuichi? Oh… Dear me, he must be exhausted… He's already asleep… Goodnight, Shuichi."

Kurama finally had his peace and quiet, brought to him by his dreams…

-------

Sleeping uneasily, Kurama frowned… A familiar scent drifted into his keen nostrils, and he felt a slight breeze tousle his thick mane of red hair. 'I closed the window… It should _not _be open.' Still half-asleep, he reached up and scratched at the side of his head, and the long, red hair. He let out a heaving sigh, and remained motionless, determined to fade back to sleep. Mumbling softly, he said, "Close the… window… Mother… is that… Botan, I smell?"

"Mm, Bingo!" the blue haired woman shouted gleefully, with a sparkle in her pink colored eyes.

Immediately, Kurama jerked back against the headboard and his eyes flicked open, staring directly into large orbs the coloration of cherry blossoms. Botan's smiling, cheery face was merely inches away from his own. Though it surprised him immensely, his face did not betray any emotion. 'Why… is she so close? Hm… Why would she be _here_?' After calming himself, he simply said, "Pardon my current state… Good morning, Botan… Is there… something important I should know?"

Botan, dressed in her pink kimono, backed away for a moment, allowing the redhead to get out of bed. Snickering, the girl noted how Kurama's mess of hair covered most of his back, but left his upper torso completely exposed. 'A very well developed one at that…' Blushing a little bit, she watched as Kurama pulled on an undershirt, and buttoned up his white uniform jacket. He had forgone the usually pink suit, instead favoring a suit the color of alabaster. "Well… there are a few things that Koenma wanted me to tell you about…"

"If you don't mind, do you think that it could wait for a short time? Perhaps you could fill me in on the way to school?" He opened his door and held his hand out, towards the hallway. "After you, I insist."

Botan exited his room, and waited for him in the hallway. Though she should have expected to be treated so politely in the abode of the demon fox, the ferry girl was still taken aback, and struck by his courtesy.

"Is there something wrong? You seem to be staring at me strangely." It was a response quite befitting Kurama… It was direct, but gently spoken, so as not to embarrass the girl _too _much.

"Oh!" The girl laughed cheerful, then waved it off with a smile, saying, "Nothing! Nothing at all! Just lost in the moment… Oh, you know how it is." Botan nervously pushed some errant locks of blue hair off of her face. 'I… I wasn't staring at him strangely! I was just… uh…Okay, maybe I was staring at him a bit strangely.'

"I see…" He led the ferry girl down the stairs, and at the last step he offered his hand to her. "The last step is a bit tricky…" Once he had a firm grip on his friend's hand, Kurama helped her down the last step, which seemed deceptively wide, throwing perception for a wild curveball.

Though she still stumbled down, as her foot almost completely missed the step, Kurama was still there to catch her. "As I said… It is a bit awkward, unless you are used to it…"

"Well, thank you! You're _certainly _more… _chivalrous _thank Yusuke is." To thank the polite young man, Botan smiled brightly and hugged him tightly, taking him by surprise… as was evident by the astonished look on his normally stoic face.

"So, Shuichi… Who is your friend?"

"M-Mother…" Kurama's face reverted back to its usual, passive self, and he calmly stepped back from Botan a bit, and placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Mother, this is Botan… She's a close friend of mine."

"Hello! How do you do?" The ferry girl brushed some hair away again, and extended a hand from under her elongated sleeves.

Kurama stood stoically, and watched as his mother and his connection to the Spirit World embraced, and began calmly chattering. 'Mother so loves the chance to reminisce about me… especially with my friends… I find it somewhat… bothersome.' "If you don't mind, I'll prepare you some breakfast for you both." Having said that, he busied himself in the kitchen, readying breakfast. 'Hm… I don't understand… Why would Botan hug me like that…? How odd… I did nothing special… Perhaps I am simply overanalyzing this situation.' Quietly whispering to himself, the ex-thief said, "People… Such irrational creatures…"

-------

"Do you understand why I've brought you here?" It was the voice of Koenma, the proxy ruler of Spirit World. He was very solemn sounding, despite his comical appearance.

"Hmm… 'Ey! What am I doin' standin' around all willy nilly like? It don't be fittin' a guy like me te be sittin' around when there's somethin' interestin' to be done!" Jin had completely tuned him out… The redheaded demon was lost in his own world of thought. A stiff cough from Koenma brought the Wind Master back to reality. "Oi! Sorry 'bout tha'… I just get meself carried away sometimes, like the blowin' winds, ye know?! Woosh! … Er… Ye were sayin'?"

"Erm… yes… I'd assume you don't know why you have been summoned here… Well, it has to do with your specialties…" The toddler hopped onto his desk and got down on his hands and knees, tears streaming down his face, "Oh _please _teach me how to use your powers!"

Scratching his head in confusion, Jin shrugged, "Eh… I uh… I dunno if ye _could_… I mean… I was jus' sorta born with 'em. I dunno if ye can _learn _it…"

Ogre quickly pacified Koenma, and handed Jin a case folder. "Usually we would have Botan run this to you, but she's indisposed at the moment… so we had to call you in personally. Just uh… read through the folder, and you'll know what to do."

"Gah, I can't make 'eads or tails o' these squiggly scribblies! It don' mean diddly squat te me!" Jin's smile faltered, as he succumbed to frustration for a split second. "Well… I guess I'll be takin' it to dandy ol' Kurama! He'll know what te make of tha'." Jin motioned to the folder and sauntered away. Waving behind his back, the airy demon fluttered out of the room, saying, "Bye, laddie! Oh _man _is it nice te be free!"

They heard the door close behind the redheaded ninja, and Ogre returned to his work. "Well… At least we know how to keep him happy…" Koenma said, sucking intently on his pacifier. "Just let him outside."

Jin's voice startled both of them. "Oh! By any chance, would the cheery lass… ye know, the ferry girl, Botan! By any chance would she be flittin' around with the fox boy-o? I think she has a wee bit o' a crush on the lad."

Laughing heartily, Koenma replied, "Well you certainly are perceptive… Kurama though? He's not exactly the type for that sort of thing… I wouldn't expect anything to come out of it…"

Ears happily twitching, Jin peered from behind the door with a wide grin plastered on his face. "I'm thinkin' ye be under-guestimating that one! Anyway, I'll be gettin' outta the way now… Aye, it'll be nice to hit the skies agai'." Once more, Jin left, this time for good however.

Ogre shook his head and said, "Such an odd demon… Hard to believe he was an assassin…"

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**Author's Notes**: Basically, it was an introduction… I pray that you liked it, and will come back for more! I'll probably be updating on a weekly basis, so, tune in next week. It'd be nice to get a review from a few of you readers, so you could let me know how I did, good or bad. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Foreword**: Uhh… Here's Chapter 2. Enjoy, folks.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own any characters from Yu Yu Hakusho, though I do own the storyline, and any original content… unless otherwise stated. Or something like that.

**Special Thanks To**: Bryan, again… He's been proofreading for you guys! He checks my crap as soon as I pump it out, so he gets to fix whatever errors I make… which is very few, I'm proud to say, haha.

* * *

"I trust that breakfast was satisfactory…" Kurama walked at a steady, even pace, inhaling and exhaling quietly, also to an unknown, even beat. He walked alongside of Botan, coolly regarding the lively reaper, noting the bounce in her step. She had also somehow changed her clothes in fractions of a second, as he watched her pink kimono give way to a simple, blue school uniform. 

"It was wonderful! Thanks, Kurama! It was a blast meeting your mother… She sure had some tales about _you_, hehe…" She paused and stifled a giggle, before grinning widely, and saying, "Oh, I can imagine how cute you must have been as a child!"

Kurama simply glanced at her sideways and raised an eyebrow, staring deeply into her eyes with his own jade colored saucers. He made no sound, but simply walked along with Botan. His face was its usual stoic, neutral self, with no outward emotion displayed.

Feeling nervous from his piercing stare, the blue haired ferry girl quickly amended her statement, "Er… Not that you're not cute _now_! I mean - Well!" Botan blushed brightly, and shut her mouth quickly, quiet for a moment. "Well… before I embarrass myself any further, I'm just gonna shut up about that." To relieve the falsely perceived tension, Botan let out a nervous laugh.

"No need to worry, Botan… I understand what you are attempting to say…" They walked along for a few minutes, a comfortable silence enveloping both of them, before Kurama interrupted it with speech. "You seem to be able to cheer up even the most somber of people…" Shrugging, Kurama continued for a while, pensively lost in his thoughts. "Although… I would imagine that such a skill would be needed in your profession… I can't imagine that everybody would be ready to pass to the next life."

"Oh boy, you know it! I even had to deal with Yusuke…" She shook her head and sighed, "That was a big, old headache from the get-go…" Botan, though she walked alongside Kurama, continually snuck as many glances at the young man as possible. It was simply something that she had grown used to doing. Heartily giggling, the young girl spread her infectious seeds of joviality, and said, "But then again, it was such a joy to tease him… Heheh, such a stubborn child he is."

"I can imagine that it would be quite a pain…" A faint wisp of a smile cracked on his face, as he observed Botan, and her bubbly demeanor. 'I… enjoy when she laughs… It is like a ray of sunshine in an otherwise bleak and boring world…' As they approached his school, Kurama dismissed the ambiguous looks that he was getting from his schoolmates. It was most likely due to Botan's presence, as Kurama usually walked to school alone, and also their looks may have been directed towards Botan's uniform. They were certainly surprised that he was seen walking with a girl his own age.

Botan, as was becoming a pattern, was completely oblivious to the stares of the rest of the people around her. As realization dawned on her, the smile broke from her face, and she cried, "Oh! Before I forget, Koenma wanted to see you… He _really _needs your help, Kurama… From what I could gather, some extremely important artifact has been stolen… I know, it's usually a job for Yusuke, but Koenma thinks you're more suited to the job… given your… you know, backgrounds."

"Hmm… I see… What… artifact was stolen?" Kurama was probing… He always did it when there was something important involved. He was trying to find out what his mission was all about, so as to be better prepared.

"I honestly don't know. I was just told to give you that message… I may have gotten a little _sidetracked_, but at least I did give it to you! I don't know anything else about the mission at this point…"

"I see… Thank you, Botan." He bowed slightly, and then said, "I appreciate your willingness to walk to school with me, however, I must be going to class now." He stood up straight again, and slyly winked at her, his emerald eyes gaining a golden color. His features seemed to change ever so slightly, as Botan caught another glance at Kurama's true form.

Botan looked around and made sure nobody was close enough to listen to them, and leaned towards the young man, quietly saying, "Kurama… did…did you just let Yoko come out for a second?"

Once again, the confusion in his eyes betrayed his true emotions, though his face, as always, held an impartial expression. "No… Is there something wrong?"

"Well, you winked at me… and your eyes sorta changed a bit… You know, golden." Shrugging, she released a charming smile, followed by a melodious bout of laughter. "Oh, look at me, worrying about every tiny thing. I'm sure it's nothing to be worried about, Kurama."

"Perhaps you're right…" He wasn't satisfied with that answer… Though he admired Botan's ability to laugh and smile in almost every situation, he couldn't let that distract him from this one. His naturally reclusive and introspective nature kicked in, and his mind began working full force.

"K-" The ferry girl mentally kicked herself in the backside as hard as possible, and quickly finished her sentence, omitting Kurama's demon name, instead covering her tracks. "Call me later, okay Shuichi? You won't forget about our plans, right?" That was close… But she somehow managed to twist her words into a slightly encoded message, meant for Kurama alone.

"Of course I will, Botan… I will call right after school." He turned and waved to the spirit liaison over his shoulder, and mane of red hair. Of course, being Kurama, he managed to make it a perfectly picturesque scene, worthy of even the most expensive of photographers.

Botan would've loved to hug him at that moment. Given the chance, she would've sped right to him, and dove on Kurama… but then again, there was always his stoic disposition. Even if Botan _had _done it, Kurama would simply stand like a statue, stare down at her with a completely disinterested look on his face, then say something excusing himself from her grasp. Frowning inwardly, Botan thought, 'He's such a private person… he doesn't let anybody know much about him, does he? I don't think he'd be comfortable with such a public sort of display… Especially not with me wrapped around him, heheh… Ooh, if it would only happen… But it's too good to be true.'

And so, Kurama just walked away from Botan, heading towards the entrance to his school building. Inwardly, Kurama was mulling over the slight take-over by his alter-ego. 'Hm… _He_ should not be able to do something like that… especially not without me noticing.' As his usual slew of suitors attacked him, Kurama simply put on a fake smile and did his best to avoid them as politely as possible.

-------

"Oh! Well 'ey there, lassy! I saw ye gettin' all cozy-like wi' the fox lad." Winking, Jin seemed to dance around the blue haired ferry girl, with little zephyrs following his every move. "I'd be willin' te wager tha' ye've got a wee bit of a fancy for good ol' Kurama."

"Bingo!" Botan said cheerily. After a few seconds, and she processed what she said, her cheeks flushed, and she muttered, "Oop! Silly me! It's gotten to be a reflex."

Jin just stared at Botan like she was a nutcase. 'She's gone batty! Somebody musta lef' 'er already scattered brain completely banjaxed!'

"Um… I'm going to just be on my way now, Jin." Botan seized his dazed state for an opportunity to escape his constant and quite annoying prying. The girl straightened out her pleated skirt, and quickened her pace. Since it was school hours, most people were either in school or working, and the streets were basically empty, allowing Jin to float, as long as he wasn't too obvious about it.

"Wh-hey! Don't be thinkin' ye can jus' skip ou' on ol' Jin!" He floated towards Botan, and circled around her playfully, his clothes fluttering in his self-generated wind.

'Oh God… He's a little tougher to get rid of than I figured…' Smiling evilly inside, Botan though, 'Of course I could always just hit him over the head with my oar… That tends to work out pretty well…' She faced Jin and smiled as sweetly as possible. Ever so subtly, she prepared to materialize her oar.

Jin grinned wickedly and circled around her one full time. "Well, wit' a smile like tha', I'm sure ye could make even th' fox-laddie fall in love wit' ye… Although, he migh' be a bi' scared… Like I am. When ye smile like that at _me_, ye'r pro'lly gonna nail me upside the noggin wit' tha' rowin' paddly oar yoke."

Botan folded her arms, frustrated, and exasperatedly said, "You don't give up, do you, Jin? Unlike _you_, I have a _very _important job, so I must be going." The ferry girl turned away and blushed. 'Kurama… If my smile could get to him, it should have already done it… Maybe it's just not meant to be…' The girl shook her head, tossing out all her bad thoughts and only thought positively, bringing a large smile to her face. 'But he _is _my friend!'

Jin slung an arm over her shoulder and his pointy ears quivered, "Ye'r a tough lassie to get down, ye know that? I sorta be likin' that about ye'. Aye, it's nice to be havin' friends these days!" Jin was positively beaming… Hard to believe such a tiny thing could affect him so.

"W-Well Jin… I um… Of course, it's nice to have friends." Though she smiled, she was inwardly seriously worried about Jin's mental health. 'Jeez, he's weird…'

"Now c'mere till I tell ye…" Jin let go of Botan and zoomed around her vigorously, obviously worked up about _something_.

Trying to be as nice as possible, Botan settled on saying, "Uhh… What?" Although, the expression on her face was less than polite, as she seemed utterly overwhelmed by confusion.

"Ah, what is it ye human folk say… Eh, just lis'n up, lassie!" He glanced around as if somebody would hear him, and then leaned closer to her. "I be thinkin' ye have quite a shot wit' good ol' Kurama! Hey hey hey! Jus' wait a sec, before ye go wallopin' me poor delicate head with yon oar there… Seriously though… Jus' take me advice, an' hang arou' him as much as ye can… I think he'll notice ye right fast."

Botan rolled her eyes and kept on walking, "While I appreciate the help, no thank you. Besides! I never even said I _thought _of Kurama like that…" Making a very convincing face, she laughed as she said, "We're just friends, silly."

Jin watched her walk off, and smiled wryly, "Nice actin' but it wan'nt good 'nough… Not 'nough to fool ol' Jin! Ha! Ye migh' as well just lemme read ye'r thoughts and say, 'Do whatever ye want with'm, Jin!' Haha! Do whatever ye want with'm!"

He turned around and strolled down the street whistling a breezy tune. 'Oh man, Botan's ma' abou' Kurama… And tha' guy's like a rock. Ye jus' can't get any emotions outta the man… I mean, ye can be introspec-whatever ye call the word, but Fox lad is jus' a bit _too _quie'…'

"AH!" Jin produced the folder he had received from Koenma, and said, "Forgot all about this little thin'… "

-------

Kurama remained perfectly still as droves of girls complimented him, and mentioned his change of outfit. Suddenly, people decided that white, rather than magenta, brought out the color of his eyes and hair… He leaned against the window, completely bored out of his mind. As always, the teacher was blabbering on about math, not even paying attention to the students trying to get Kurama's attention. 'Hmm… I wonder what Botan's mission is…'

'Thinking about her again, are you?'

Kurama's face tightened a bit, and he frowned a little, and replied to his alter ego, Yoko Kurama. 'Quiet… I don't see why you are bothering me. I also do not ever want you to take control of my body, as you did earlier.'

'You think you can talk to me like that? You're just yelling at _yourself_, do you know that, right _Shuichi_?' Yoko spat out his human name as though it left a bad taste in his mouth.

'I need to get out of here… I can't be here… I can't have Yoko showing up like this…' Kurama raised his hand, and quietly said, "May I be excused, Mr. Ayura? I would like to use the restroom." With that said, Kurama quickly escaped the room, and entered the bathroom, down the hall. He entered, and locked the room behind him. 'Yoko… I do not know why you are able to take control of me, but I will not allow it…'

Kurama felt as though Yoko was grinning at him. He glanced around, and spied a mirror, seeing his pale face, and green eyes staring back at him. However, his eyes felt the odd urge to blink continuously. With each flit of the eyelid, he felt as though something in his reflection was changing, until he finally noticed the pale golden irises staring back at him. His red tresses of hair were still hanging over his shoulders, but the eyes of Yoko Kurama stared wildly at Shuichi.

'I'm not even trying, Shuichi… I just want to come out and play for a little while… I promise I won't steal _much_… Just maybe that ferry girl you think so highly of…'

Grunting with the exertion of trying to hold back his former self, Kurama stared at his hand, and watched as it transformed into Yoko's. "No!" he shouted, despite being at school. Falling to his knees, Kurama's forehead ground against the tiled floor, and he could feel that Yoko was taking control faster and faster. Clutching at his face, he saw his fiery locks of slightly curling hair fall limp, and become pure silver in color.

He crawled to the sink, and pulled himself up, staring into the cold, menacing face of Yoko Kurama. "Remember, Shuichi… We may act differently, but we're really the same person…"

Struggling to regain control, Kurama punched the mirror as hard as he could, his body reverting back to his human form as the glass shattered and the shards scattered all around. Breathing heavily, he tried his best to compose himself. "I know that… I know that very well… I just fail to see what that fact has to do with anything…" He carefully put himself in order, and unlocked the bathroom door, returning to class.

Anybody with half of a brain could tell that Kurama was troubled by something… Thankfully, nobody at his school _had _half of a brain, so he was off the hook this time. He returned to his seat, and leaned his head against the window again, his face visibly paler, obviously shaken by his experience in the bathroom.

A knock on the window jolted Kurama from his seat, and he turned his head, glancing through the glass portal. With a massive grin plastered on his face, Jin's horned head, and mop of red hair, fluttered about in the wind, as he levitated in front of the window. Spinning around in the air a tiny bit, Jin waved, as though Kurama hadn't already noticed him.

'How could this day get any worse…?'

* * *

**Author's Notes**: Banjaxed means Broken, if you were talking to somebody in Ireland. Yeah, um… Not much to say here. I hope that I've managed to capture all of the characters accurately, and they're not incredibly stupid sounding… I REALLY appreciate any reviews that have been left, and I just want to thank you all. Leave me a review maybe? 


	3. Chapter 3

**Foreword**: And welcome back, Ladies and Gents. I hope you liked Chapters 1 and 2 enough to come back for good old Chapter 3. Hopefully you like the story. I'm not going to lie… I have NO idea where this is going. I have close to no idea on what I'm going to do for plot at this point either… Just bear with me, please.

**Disclaimer**: As with other writers, I don't own the characters or idea of Yu Yu Hakusho… I do own the storyline, but that's not too much… So don't sue me.

**Special Thanks To**: Bryan. He's my proof-reading slave… I basically force these chapters down his throat until he looks through it. He also gives me ideas, which I promptly hijack and present as my own… with his permission, of course. Heheh…

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**Chapter III**

"_Right, _Yusuke?!"

Urameshi stared off into space, completely in a trance. Had it not been for his snoring, Keiko would have _never _figured it out.

When she thought she heard him snoring, Keiko moved even closer to his face, poking at his forehead. "Are you _sleeping_?"

There was no response…

Exasperated, Keiko shouted, "Yusuke Urameshi! How dare you fall asleep when I'm talking to you!" She placed both hands on his shoulders and began to shake him violently.

"Ow, damn, Keiko! I'm gonna get friggin' Shaken Baby Syndrome if you keep it up!" Yusuke whined, apparently unhappy that she saw through his ploy. He had learned to sleep with his eyes open, but it seems that Keiko had already rendered _that _trick useless…

"Uh, Yusuke… You have to be a bab- well…" The girl stopped for a moment, and folded her arms, one finger to her chin, as if she was deep in thought. "I guess _you _could get Shaken Baby Syndrome."

"Yeah! See?!" Yusuke grinned idiotically, as if he had actually accomplished something academic. He remained in his seat, fidgeting with a pencil. Their class hadn't started just yet, and the two were simply relaxing. He said nothing, hoping that Keiko would forget whatever she had said earlier, because it was most likely something that didn't interest him.

"Like I was saying…"

Apparently, his hopes were tossed onto the cutting board. Grimacing, Yusuke grudgingly listened to his girlfriend. His evasive tactics were easily swatted away with the persistent nagging that Keiko was ever so prone to doing.

"After school, we're going to go shopping, just like you promised me… Now just when was that? _Three weeks ago?!_" Keiko had definitely taken on an aggressive stance in the conversation, flinging accusatory words towards her boyfriend… It was quite understandable, however, given his annoying tendency to skip out on their dates.

"Alright! Alright! Geez… Get off my back, will ya? I said we would… It's not like I'd _skip out _on it… I mean, things just kept popping up… but I'm free now, so I guess today's fine." Yusuke was smiling on the outside, oh yes… It was another self-defense mechanism. One finely honed and developed in order to avoid being mauled by the vicious Keiko-Beast. 'Koenma, if there was EVER a time that I seriously need your help, this is it… Throw me a friggin' bone! I _hate _shopping!' His face becoming slightly more serious, Yusuke said, "You're lucky I offered, Keiko… The clerks always think I'm stealing stuff…"

With a benign, and cheerful smile, Keiko said, "You only offered because you know I'd drag you along anyway." She placed an arm around him and said, "At least you're learning to become a _little_ more like a gentleman."

Grinning impishly, Yusuke's mind began to concoct a plan. "Hey Keiko, I think class is starting… Isn't that the teacher?" He pointed towards the door, and waited for his fish to bite his sloppily baited hook…

And yet the fish bit. Keiko completely turned around in her seat and glanced through the doorway at the other side of the class room. "Yusuke… Are you seeing things? There's nobody there…"

Seizing his golden opportunity, the delinquent hopped up and popped open the window, balancing on the window sill. "Oh yeah, sorry about that Keiko… I just remembered… I uh… I gotta go do something, so I'll see ya later, okay?"

Keiko sighed heavily, and faked a pout. She looked at Yusuke with the cutest and most forlorn look that she could muster. Seeing his hesitation, the girl grabbed hold of his feet, and yanked him back in the room. "Going somewhere, Yusuke? You weren't thinking of skipping out on me… _Were you?!_"

Obviously frightened at the prospect of a flat out pissed Keiko, the young man stammered, "N-No… Of _course _not… I was testing the windows… you know, to see if they worked right!" Figuring it couldn't get much worse, he eyed the window, and sprang towards it, in an attempt to reach his salvation. He was free… He was going to make it.

Almost.

Irritated, Keiko touched the window, and slid it down as fast and hard as she could, and watched Yusuke's face smash headlong into it. The girl couldn't help but feel the makings of a giggle inside of her, as she watched her boyfriend flop comically onto the floor.

"Ow! Man, you're more brutal than anybody I've ever fought!" the boy complained… quite vocally, it should be noted. "I'll end up with that Shaken Baby Synd- HEY WAIT! ARE YOU CALLIN' ME A BABY?!"

"Ugh… So _now _he gets it…"

-------

Kurama calmly raised his hand once again, and said, "Mr. Ayura… I am terribly sorry to bother you, but may I be excused once again? I am not feeling well, and I would like to go to the Nurse's office."

The teacher turned around and regarded his star pupil with concern, noting the coloration of his face, seeing that it was paler than usual. "Perhaps that is best, Shuichi… You don't look to be in the best of conditions… Would you like to have somebody escort you, just in case you encounter some problems?"

Glancing at the hordes of girls who raised their hands to volunteer, Kurama grimaced, and stood up, sweeping his long, scarlet hair out of his face. "Not necessary… Thank you, however, for the concern…" He quickly exited, doing his best to keep their attention off of Jin, who was still inquisitively hovering about the window.

Disheartened, the girls of the class continued their daydreaming of Kurama…

-------

Kurama lightly leaned against a thick, yet dead tree, taking in the myriad of scents that is nature. Spreading his fingers out, he pressed his palm gently against the tree, and felt his spirit energy seeping into the very core of the tree, revitalizing its exhausted and broken body. Immediately, hundreds of pink blossoms erupted from its once barren branches. It had learned to once again produce something that had been lost so long ago.

Jin spiraled around the tree, breathing in the smell of the wind. "Ah, ye always have tha' skill te keep th' win' smellin' nice and fresh, jus' like an ol' mornin' back in me homelan'. Oops! I went on ramblin' agai'…" Jin playfully picked a few cherry blossoms from the tree, using his ability to control the wind, and allowed them to float around for a while. The heavily accented voice of Jin spoke once more, "Ah! Truth be dandy, I f'rgot wha' we came ou' here f'r… Now wha' was't 'gain?" He put a finger to his chin and thought for a good, hard minute.

"Perhaps that folder in your waistband… Could that be the reason?"

"Ah! Ye'r a sharp'n, aren't ye?" Jin removed it from his waistband, and stared at it intently for a few moments. "Ah, who'm I kiddin'? None o' thi' scrabble-scatter means a thin' to me. I fig'red ye coul' help an ol' pal ou', righ'?" Jin handed the file to Kurama, and asked, "But how coul' ye tell where it was comin' fro'?"

"It seems to be from Spirit World, so I naturally assumed that it was the reason you came out here… though I do not understand why they sent you, rather than Botan." Kurama remained silent as he noted Jin's impish look. 'Brilliant… I've just set him off on another of his outrageous schemes…'

"So… Ye be wishin' I were Bota', don't ye? Oh, I can imagine it now! Ye'd have a li'l ol' party ou' in these here for'st!" His crystal blue eyes lit up like thousands of tiny stars, and his dangerously pointy ears quivered with excitement. "Ye'd be all like: Oh Bota'! I jus' be lovin' ye'r blue hair! I coul' get los' in them pretty li'l eyes ye have on ye! Me heart gets all twitchity-flipity flutterin' when ye pass me by. An' me bein' the fox I am, I can't hel' bu' take in your scen'!"

Kurama remained stoic, his face betraying no emotion. Instead, he leafed through the folder and frowned, "I see… So that's what I am to do…"

"Well, 't ain't no fun if ye don' even reac' to it…"Jin frowned also, and his ears stopped their excited dancing. He folded his arms and said, "Ye gotta un'erstan' tha' this 'ere mission is f'r th' both of us. We woul' sure make th' perf'ct team, ain' tha' righ' Kurama, me lad?"

"Perhaps it'd be best for me to simply do this one alone…" Kurama said gently, hoping not to offend Jin. He had grown accustomed to doing things all by himself, and was not quite as comfortable with a team… especially one so apt to be noisy. Kurama shook his head, and his red mane followed behind in a stream. 'Why, may I ask, would Koenma send _Jin _of all people, to help me… This mission… requires the stealthiest of people… Jin does _not_ happen to be one of those types of people…'

"Nah, tha's qui'e a'right… Ain' got a thin' in th' worl' te do aroun' here, so I fig're I coul' affor' te help a buddy ou' ev'ry now'n 'en." Jin fluttered around Kurama for a little while, then finally, semi-agitated, said, "Well, are ye' gon' te read our ord'rs ou' loud, so I can hear 'em?"

Instead of doing so, Kurama handed the folder to Jin, and said, "Would it not be better to read them for yourself? Perhaps you will catch something that I may have overlooked." Kurama smiled encouragingly, and stood quietly.

"Ehhh… I ain' so sure tha's such a goo' idea…" Jin queasily smiled, then pushed the folder back to Kurama, continuing, "How 'bou' you jus' read'm off to me? I'm grea' a' lis'nin'!"

"I see…" Kurama's brow furrowed, and he thought, 'Hm… I do not believe that Jin is able to read… Such a shame… He really is quite bright when he sets his mind to it…' He cleared his throat and began, "Well, it seems that Yusuke, Kuwabara and Hiei were not informed of this case, because of the delicate situation we have… A single demon, supposedly a powerful one, though I have yet to agree, has taken control of a Spirit World treasure house… He has obtained the Shroud of Izanagi, who was, as you well know, Lord Yama's father… Hmm… It's a hostage situation, and Hiei, Yusuke, and Kuwabara simply would not be appropriate choices for that… They'd charge right in, and have the hostages killed… Hiei might even do it himself."

"Oh… Well now it all be makin' qui'e the heap of sense! Aye, ye'r such a pal!" Jin happily tossed an arm around Kurama's shoulder.

Kurama smiled and said, "Well, you're certainly easy to please… I'm glad I was of some assistance to you… Now, if you'll excuse me, I must be on my way…" Kurama extricated himself from Jin and began his walk home, through the one place he felt truly at peace, the forest.

Jin grinned and began to follow along calling to him in a sing-song type of voice, "Bota'! Bota'! Ev'ryone knows ye have th' hots f'r the lassie! So, Kurama… When can I start a-plannin' f'r th' weddin'?" Jin stopped for a moment, then bolted in front of Kurama, and stood in front of him, with eyes as large as saucers, and suddenly shouted, "An' ye'r li'l lads and lassies woul' be qui'e cu'e… I thin' ye'r kids migh' even ou'shine th' ang'ls!"

"Jin… How many times do I have to tell you…? I hold nothing but the highest respect for Botan… There is nothing romantic, or complicated between us. She and I happen to be of the opposite sex, and very close friends, but nothing more… You will not have to worry about children, or weddings…" Kurama walked around Jin with a slight smile on his face, as he was still trying to enjoy his forest walk, taking in the familiar smells.

Before Jin could move any further, he heard Kurama snap his fingers, and frowned. "What ye snappin' ye'r fing'rs f'r?" He shook it off, and tried to fly towards Kurama, but found that he could not. "Wha? Wha's this?!" he shouted in surprise.

Kurama turned around and shrugged, "It seems that the flowers love you, Jin… I believe they want you to stay with them for a while…" The redheaded thief allowed himself a little chuckle as more flowers and vines firmly chained Jin to the ground he stood on.

Dismayed, Jin looked down at the flowers, and said, "Oh… now 'at ain' ev'n fair…" After a few minutes he sat down, alone, in the forest, and chuckled a bit, "They are sor'a pretty though…"

-------

Kurama exited the forest with a refreshed look on his face. Though he felt somewhat bad about what he had done to Jin, he felt that it was necessary, in order for him to maintain his own sanity. Eyes closed, Kurama stood like a statue on the sidewalk. He breathed deeply, just to get one last wisp of the forest's scent. However, in the middle of that fragrance of nature, Kurama caught a whiff of another familiar scent.

"Botan?" He opened his eyes, and saw Botan waving to him.

"Bingo!"

* * *

**Author's Notes**: There you have it. Chapter Three for you. I'm not sure how long this thing will end up, and I hope you'll stay with me for the whole thing. Just a note, I know that Izanagi was the Creation Deity in some Japanese mythology, but I don't think he and Yama are related… I just sorta added that anyway, just because it'd make more sense with how Koenma is and all that.

Look people… I'm really scraping the bottom of the barrel here. I'm not exactly sure _how _Botan and Kurama fit together, I'm really not. Please, somebody. PLEASE throw ideas at me. I mean, I really like them together, but I'm just having trouble with the logistics, and trying to get them together, so… I have a few ideas of my own, but I GREATLY appreciate any helpful insight anyone else might have.

Please review, tell me how I did, and give me some ideas, if you want.


	4. Chapter 4

**Foreword**: Okay, I'm sorta lost, so I'm not exactly sure where this whole story is headed, but I'll sure try and make it an entertaining ride for you all.

**Disclaimer**: Definitely, I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho, or any of the characters affiliated with it… I'll leave that to those crazy Japanese people who are amazing at art.

**Special Thanks To**: Bryan, the proof-reader/motivator, ha ha… and all of you guys and girls who are reading this story. I appreciate any support you may have. Also, I'd like to personally thank Smexy Kitten, because she gave me some big time support and tips on how to work this chapter out.

* * *

Kurama coolly regarded Botan through his sharp eyes, noticing that she seemed to walk with a certain urgency, as though she had something important to say. When the blue haired bearer of death approached, Kurama, cool and collected as always, faintly bowed and said, "Good afternoon, Botan… I trust that you are doing well?"

With a cheery grin, the young lady stopped once she had reached Kurama, and cheerily said, "Hi, Kurama! Of course I'm doing well. I just needed to stop by and see you… You know, business as usual."

"I see…" He tactfully waited, holding to silence. He didn't want to make Botan feel as though she had made the trip to find him in vain, so Kurama instead reciprocated Botan's grin with a tiny smile of his own. It was one of those rare types of smiles that encouraged, without being overbearing, and subtly crept into your subconscious, revealing as much about yourself as it did the other person. This phenomenon was a natural thing for Kurama. In his days as a Demon Thief, such an occurrence had never happened, for he simply did not smile, but rather sneered, smirked, or maliciously chuckled. Instead, this smile had been one of the important things cultivated in his days as a human.

It was the same smile that Botan had grown to admire. For a moment, she lost herself in it, allowing herself to bask under the fruitful and alluring gaze of the sly fox in front of her. Botan blinked, though it seemed to last for hours on end when Kurama exited from her sight, and she found her desire doubled when her eyes opened once again for her to see him. Finally resigning herself to the fact that the moment would not last for an eternity, the young ferry girl opened her mouth.

Silence.

She hadn't said anything, as her voice seemed to fail at the most inopportune of times. Blushing, Botan simply let out a laugh, and tried her best to calm herself down.

Kurama let out his own chuckle, as he understood what had happened to his friend. He had not meant to make her uncomfortable, but it had unintentionally happened regardless of his wishes. He waited for Botan to regain her composure, and did his best to tune down his charm.

"Wow, silly me. I don't know what just happened there…" Once her blush wore off, she continued, "A-Anyway. As I was saying, it's just business as usual… Lord Koenma needs a tiny bit of assistance. Well, since you're available, and extremely well suited to the job, Koenma said that I should just pop over and give you the run-down on the mission he has for you."

Kurama knew exactly what she was going to talk about. Since he didn't quite need to listen with his complete being, Kurama indulged himself with carefully observing Botan herself. He took note of all of her charming habits, and quaint characteristics while she spoke to him. As he gazed at the youthful ferry girl, Kurama began to feel a dreadful presence sneak up on his unconscious, and the voice of Yoko Kurama drifted into his thoughts.

"Hm… Once again, caught staring off at the girl, aren't we?" it said. "I can't say I blame you… However… I could make her ours, if you'd only let me… Just let me come out and play for a while… I promise not to do _too _much damage, hehe…"

Lately, Yoko had been becoming more mischievous and malicious. In past times, Kurama could dare say that he almost had complete control over his alter-ego's sadistic nature, however in the past few days, the infamous thief, Yoko Kurama, had been growing more restless, and ever stronger, trying to break his way out onto the surface.

The inner turmoil raging within Kurama came to an abrupt stop, as he noticed Botan's face only inches away from his own… dangerously close. "You're not listening to me, are you?" she said, with a playfully accusative tone.

"Forgive me…" Kurama offered an apologetic smile on his previously neutral expression, and calmly said, "I seem to have gotten lost in my thoughts for a moment."

Seeming to become a pattern, any type of negative feelings Botan harbored against her redheaded friend melted away at the very sight of his smile. But she still had to keep up the appearance. This was one of the few times she had the chance to get a rise out of the stoic, young man, and the devious ferry girl was _not _going to pass that golden opportunity up. "Why, I could have been attacked while you were off in _dreamland_, and I have half a mind to say that you wouldn't have even budged from your spot on the pavement!"

"B-Botan! Don't say such a thing. I was not completely unconscious… I was still aware of…" Kurama trailed off slowly. He was not the type of person to tell a bold faced lie, especially not to a friend of his, and even _more _to a _lady_. Instead, he lowered his face slightly, and prepared for a verbal lashing.

"You seem distracted lately, Kurama… Are you alright? I mean, if it were Yusuke, I'd expect this type of behavior, but you're always so focused… If something is wrong, you can always talk to me…" After a moment, she finished her statement with a melodious giggle, "Everyone knows I have nothing better to do."

"I appreciate the offer, Botan, however there's nothing abnormal going on… I believe it is simply stress that has been causing such distractions." He finished his sentence with the skilled flourish of a professional orator, doing his best to set Botan's mind at ease.

"Well… the offer's still on the table, if you need it…" After a moment of silence, a wide grin appeared on her face, "Or even if you're bored and want to talk to somebody! We could just write it off as 'Otherworldly Assistance'… Yeah, I think Lord Koenma would buy that one." With a feline glint in her eyes, the ferry girl seemed to glow with energy.

"I have a confession to make, actually, Botan…"

Those were words that Botan had been dreaming about for the longest time she could remember. However, in these daydreams, they usually involved Kurama's typical ice-man approach to life breaking down, and him declaring his everlasting love for her. But, being the intelligent girl she was, she made sure not to get her hopes up, though her ears perked up and she listened more attentively than usual.

"Honestly, I knew what you came here to tell me beforehand… Jin managed to get a hold of me, though it was under some dicey circumstances… He explained the situation to me…" Kurama looked quite sincere… "I'm quite sorry that I've wasted your time here." And the sad thing is… he _was _being sincere… It was just the type of person that Kurama had matured into. He had become a selfless person in his years as a human. Whether or not that was a weakness or strength depends upon who was answering the question.

Hiei certainly found it to be a weakness. But then again, _everything_ was a weakness to him.

The blue haired girl shrugged and smiled, "That's okay… It's nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of Spirit World every now and then." She extended her hand, and, simultaneously, an oar of light, yet hard wood materialized. "It was nice seeing you, but I think I have to be going… Koenma might throw a fit if I'm down here doing nothing at all!" She glanced over her shoulders to make sure nobody was listening in, and whispered, "And we all know what happens when Lord Koenma throws a royal tantrum… people get spankings… It's never pretty."

As she mounted her trusted form of transportation, Kurama gently placed a hand on her shoulder, and watched her turn to meet his stare. "In that case… I do believe I am in need of some 'Otherworldly Assistance'."

The ferry girl turned around, mildly interested in what Kurama had to say. It was not often that he would do such a thing as hold somebody back from their job for any reason, more or less one that was insignificant.

"You see…" he elaborated, brushing some of his red locks from his forehead, "I would feel awful for wasting your precious time, Botan. From observing you, it seems like you are a bit thirsty." As he said that, his deep, green eyes took an involuntary glance over Botan in her entirety.

Glancing up to the sky, she thought about the offer for a moment, and admitted, "Now that you mention it, I _could _use something to drink!"

"I would be honored if you would allow me to buy you a drink… It would quench your thirst, and alleviate my guilt. So, in fact, it would work out best for both of us." Kurama waited for a moment, and in the instant it took for him to blink, Botan's magical oar had dissipated.

Botan smiled appreciatively, and thought to herself, 'He's such a gentleman…I wonder why he's so… why he's so unapproachable. It's so hard to strike up a conversation with him, but once it starts, he's so engaging that you don't want it to end! Kurama… Why do you have to be so… so gorgeous?!' Stars seemed to form deep in the recesses of her eyes, as she thought of her secret crush, and the favor he was doing her. 'O-Oh! Oh my! Would this be… would this be considered a date?!'

-------

"Ugh… This has _got _to be the _most boring _thing that I've done in a while… and I've even had a silence contest with _Hiei_…" Yusuke wearily leaned against the wall near the changing rooms, and lazily looked out the front window, hoping to see _anything _that would even have the slightest chance of sparking his interest.

He had, obviously, been dragged on this whole expedition by none other than Keiko Yukimura, the one person that Yusuke actually _was _afraid of. In all his days of fighting, she was the only insurmountable opponent that he had ever faced. _She _was the source of his misery these days…

And yet, he adored her with a limitless and selfless love that nobody had ever received from him. Yusuke acknowledged that Keiko was _also _the reason for most of his joy in his current life too… In fact, he owed her his second chance at life, those years ago.

"Will you hurry it up, Keiko?!" he said in a low voice, so the clerk would not overhear him. He returned the obviously false smile that she gave him, and said, "She either thinks I'm a pervert or a thief, and I ain't too happy with either of those choices."

His girlfriend's voice drifted through the walls, saying, "I'm almost finished, just hold on… Since when have you cared about what people think about you, anyway?" Keiko must have taken extreme pride in knowing exactly how to shut Yusuke down, as she seemed to do it as though it was a science.

"Well… er… Uh… I don't know! I just don't want some lady who doesn't even know me to go off and make some crazy assumptions! I don't want it to be just like Junior High all over again…" Yusuke trailed off, muttering, "Bunch of idiots…" After a moment, a slight grin appeared on his face, and he glanced over his shoulder, making sure Keiko had no way of watching him, then he furtively began to creep towards the exit of the store.

"And don't you even think about ditching me, Yusuke! I _know _where you live!"

Freezing in place, the Spirit Detective's eyes widened, and he thought, 'Uh-oh… she sounds pissed… I'd better just lay low and take it like a man for a while…' Just as quietly as he tried to escape, he returned to his former position, and said, "Oh, cool your jets… I wasn't goin' anywhere… I er… just had to tie my shoes… No need to get violent, now…"

"Oh, I'm _sure_, Yusuke…" The girl returned to sight, wearing the same clothes she entered with, though she now had decided what clothes she was going to buy. Deftly, the brown haired girl placed select pairs of clothes back onto their respective racks, before half leading, half dragging Yusuke to the front desk, to pay for her purchases.

Tuning out the banter between the clerk and his girlfriend, Yusuke glanced out the front window once more, and scanned the crowd for people he knew. After a moment, he peered into the window of a tiny, quaint café, after catching a flash of red. At first, he let out a sardonic laugh, and thought to himself, 'Psh… like Kurama would be in some coffee shop … He's probably dodging chicks or foolin' with his plants. He always holes himself up either at home, or in the forest. No way he'd be in some stinkin'… Wait… that's a… "café?" What the heck is a café?!'

"Yusuke, what are you looking at _now?_" Keiko asked, obviously irritated that his mind had wandered so far from his body.

"I thought I saw Kurama in that building over there… I dunno though. Probably just saw something else. Heh, Kurama's too much of a hermit to be out in public."

Both were silent as they exited the store, with only the slight jingle of the bells on the door ringing in the background. After a moment, Keiko caught the bobbing of a blue ponytail, and followed it down to the laughing face of a familiar friend. "Is that… Botan?"

"Ha! I _was _right! I _knew _I was a genius! I told you it was Kuram-wait… Why's he with _Botan_?" Yusuke seemed to say Botan's name with incredulity, as though he could never fathom the two of them acknowledging each others' existence, more or less sharing time over a drink.

"Oh! It must be a _date!_ Aw, how _cute! _Kurama's such a gentleman… I always thought those two had something going on!" Keiko giddily watched in delight, before saying, "Yusuke, let's go say hello!"

* * *

**Author's Notes**: So there you have it, another chapter that I hope you'll forgive me for, haha. I hope you enjoyed it enough to want more… so drop me a review… I accept any and all comments, concerns, questions and criticisms… I need them all, so I can tailor my story to your needs. 


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